In this day and age of social media we hear people rant about terrible customer service they receive all the time. Fortunately there are some good stories still out there, and after hearing about this one I just had to share. The wedding photography team of Easton and Laura Reynolds of LuRey Photography had their camera attached to a popular BlackRapid Strap used by many in the industry. Unfortunately the strap came loose causing Laura's camera to hit the concrete and damage their Nikon 24-70 lens. What happened next deserves to be heard.
The Reynolds sent their lens in to Nikon for repairs and learned that it would be $654 to repair the lens back to normal. They went ahead and started the repair process and then Easton sent an email to BlackRapid letting them know what had happened but didn't expect to even hear back from them. To their suprise they got a response 12 hours later from the customer service team.
We're very sorry to hear about your unfortunate incident and the damage it caused to your wife's lens. We do stand behind our products and value customer satisfaction. Please email us your estimate and we can begin the process of reimbursing you for your expenses. Could you also please email us some photos of the damaged lens? Was the issue related to the ConnectR or the FastenR coming out of the camera? We'd like to offer to send you a new strap. We'll include a return label so you can send your current strap back to us. This is a quality control issue and we'd like our production team to take a look at it. So, please email us your address and which Sport version your wife was using and we'll get a new one sent to you right away. We apologize for any inconvenience this is causing you. Looking forward to hearing back from you and making this situation right.
Not only did BlackRapid cover the cost of the lens repair but they also covered the cost for them to rent that same lens for a wedding while theirs was being repaired and of course sent them a replacement strap. Hats off to BlackRapid Straps! It is amazing to hear that a company in our industry is really going above and beyond to serve their customers. When I heard Easton sharing his story and the amazing service he was provided in a Facebook group with other photographers I just knew it deserved to be heard on a larger platform such as Fstoppers. If you need a new camera strap I can now say that BlackRapid is a company worth supporting and telling others about. You can learn more about them on their website, Facebook page or even follow them on Twitter.
Other companies should watch and learn from them. Wish others acted like that.
I had a similar experience with Gura Gear a couple years ago. I was 2 weeks into a 3 month trip when my Chobe shoulder strap support ripped halfway off (while in Norway). I sent them an email, and within a few days they mailed a brand new bag to my next known address in Jordan. Absolutely stellar customer service.
I've had the BlackRapid strap-on for a little while now and love it. I recently got the double ended strap-on for carrying two at once and it's awesome. I haven't had any issues with it (knock on wood). I recommend them to everyone who asks me about the strap or is looking for something better.
I'd be interested if they visually inspected the strap before it broke. I always give it a quick look over for fraying or whatever before use...
I didn't know BlackRapid made double ended strap-ons. I thought they were just into camera equipment!
J/K. Unintentional humor is always best. lol
;D sorry, couldn't help myself...
I'd be willing to buy from them above all others based on this story...
My favorite part: Asking for the old strap to figure out why it failed.
That's a business that not only cares about customer service, but is determined to deliver a good product. Hats off to them.
I bought a Rapid Strap a year ago, and although I like it, I've always been a bit "worried" that my camera might slip off and well...break. I'm thinking that I'm being a worry wart now.
I used a blackrapid cargo http://www.blackrapid.com/products/cargo during a 10 day UK trip. loved it and am considering a dual strap to be able to carry two cameras. the only downside of the cargo is the smartphone pocket is designed for iphones and wouldn't hold my Moto X. otherwise it is a great strap
I stopped using the Black Rapid straps and picked up a Spider Dual Holster.... no swing, and I never fear that my cameras will fall, no back pains, my shirt doesn't get wrinkled thus allowing me to look fresh, and it looks BOSS!!!!!
http://spiderholster.com
I strongly recommend this to wedding photographers rocking 2 cams....
I've been using BlackRapid for a little over a year now and never looked back!
Love my Black Rapid Sport strap and am happy to hear they stand so well behind their product. Still would like to know more about what exactly went wrong, so I can hopefully avoid the problem with my 24-70.
those lens are built REALLY weak.
My friend had one break following a VERY light bump. (zoom jammed at 50mm). the fee for repairing it was too much (1/3 of a new lens!) so he took it appart.
The barrel moves in and out when zooming and they lose concentricity very easily with a small impact located at the right spot. VERY bad design. Also a rough sans particle could jam it real tight very easily. I would never buy one after looking at it ine pieces AND they have put an accelerometer in it to record if it got bumped. If they read it and notice the bump... your out of luck...
1) I think it's great they did what needed to be done to make it right.
2) Perhaps I'm jaded after so many years in business offices, but the cost they incurred is significantly less than their product insurance premiums would have been raised next year by a claim or even reports of their product malfunctioning and causing damage.
I had an amazing support from BlackRapid!!!!! So I believe this story.
Glad I have my Black Rapid Sports strap. This makes me feel even better towards them (I Shoot Raw edition) and it has been great. Now I wonder if we will see an influx of people who's lenses have conveniently "dropped" while using their straps?
Depressing that a company actually standing behind their product is now regarded as "above and beyond" instead of just par for the course.
This is why you support great companies instead of automatically going for the least expensive option.
Totally agree; they've replaced my double strap twice - the first one I broke one accidentally slamming my trunk lid on it, cracking a plastic bit - they sent a free replacement. That replacement, the carabiner spring simply wore out from a few years of use - asked them about it, and they, again, sent me a new one. Unreal. These guys are amazing - in neither case did I ask for a replacement; I was asking for replacement parts... they said "what is your address?" and a day later I had a brand new double strap in both instances. I'm a BlackRapid shooter forever because of their amazing service!
I also posted this on FB, but I made an account just to post it on here too.
BLackRapid is a shitty company that uses low-life tactics patenting designs that have been out there for ages and then shutting other companies down. Fucking pathetic.
I love good customer support as much as the next guy, but stuff like what they've done pisses me off so fucking much. Seriously. They've fucking blew it. Hopefully others read this. Let there be an open market and let the company with the best strap win, instead of patenting design they didn't even invent themselves.
http://petapixel.com/2011/11/15/luma-loop-camera-strap-killed-off-after-...
http://boingboing.net/2011/11/17/patent-strapcutters.html
I have a black Rapid, almost thought about changing the strap, but with a customer service story like this... NO WAY!!
Well done to the team at Black Rapid for their excellent customer service skills, it's up there with Apple!
I can attest to this - a while back the older-style camera lug broke on my Rapid strap. When I reached out to customer service, I thought they were going to send me a new lug. Instead, they sent me a replacement strap.